Moving On Together
by laxwriter
Summary: When Shelby suffers a massive stroke and is unable to live alone independently let alone take care of Beth, her emergency contact is called in, Quinn Fabray. Quinn's relationship with Shelby is barely existent and she has none with Beth. Now the three woman must navigate new and complex relationships that require trust but most of all forgiveness in order to heal and move on.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I know that I should not be starting a new story especially since I haven't finished my other three stories but I couldn't help it. This popped into my head and I couldn't help but write it. I have no clue how long it will be, part of me wants it to be short and sweet but another part has million ideas going so it might be longer. Anyway, I hope to be better at updating this story as well as my other ones. I really hope you like this story. I feel like many people have written stories about Quinn somehow regaining custody of Beth in someway but we rarely get Beth's point of view, this story will hopefully give us just that. The story will be primarily written from Beth's POV and Quinn's but I may through in Shelby occasionally. Please review and let me know what you think so that I can make this story better for you my readers. Thank you in advance for your support. Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters. Glee belongs to it's creators and FOX.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

Ch. 1

I never thought I would be sitting here next to my mother's bed waiting to see if she was going to live or die, well at least not yet any way. Twelve year olds aren't suppose to be thinking about funerals and what life will be like without their parents, no that isn't supposed to happen until I'm in my forties or fifties with a family of my own, yet here I am in the University of Pennsylvania Hospital gripping my unconscious mother's hand praying to whatever deity is up there that she will live, that she will come back to me and our life will go back to normal. That it will once again be the two of us, the dynamic duo against the world.

It's been two days since I found her lying on the ground unresponsive with spilt soup everywhere on the kitchen floor. Two days since the paramedics whisked her away in the ambulance, two days since the doctors told me that my 48 year old mother suffered a massive stroke and they weren't sure if she would make it and even if she did it was likely that she would have several severe side effects, two days since I became a ward of the state and was sent to a foster home.

No this was definitely not how I saw my life turning out. How was I supposed to deal with this? What was going to happen to me? Would I bounce around from foster home to foster home until I was eighteen, like George who's at the home I am in now. That prospect scared me so much. Mom had to be okay I refused to be an orphan, I'd escaped that fate once; no way was it going to be my fate now.

"Beth?" I turned when I heard my social worker, Ms. Eva call me. She was a tall woman, probably five foot nine, ridiculously skinny. She had medium length mousy brown hair, kind but slightly sad brown eyes, a tight smile, and no sense of humor. She wore a grey skirt suit with a blue and white striped oxford cloth shirt and two inch high black heels.

"Yes?" I replied as I turned my attention back to my mom. I really didn't want to look away, afraid that if I did she would slip away from me forever. I heard the click of Ms. Eva's heels on the linoleum floor as she step up behind me. "We've found your guardian." Yeah that was Ms. Eva, no nonsense straight to the point.

"Guardian? I have one?" I was surprised by this, my mom was an only child and my grandparents were both dead, Papi had died just last year actually.

"Yes, your mother had explicit directions in her living will as to whom you should be placed in the custody of if should she die or become incapacitated and unable to care for you properly." Ms. Eva was lucky I was an intelligent, slightly nerdy, twelve year old and understood everything she said to me. I doubt many young kids would have.

"Who?" For a second I thought maybe it was Rachel Berry, my mom's biological daughter, but they didn't speak often, just the obligatory phone call during Hanukkah, mother's day, and Rachel's birthday. I understood Rachel's reluctance to get too close to my mom, but it still upset me to see how much it hurt mom that she couldn't have a better relationship with her oldest daughter. As for Rachel and my relationship, it didn't exist. Not that I cared. So no it wouldn't be Rachel, there was no way Shelby would place me in Rachel's care, she wouldn't do that to either of us.

"Quinn Fabray." My heart literally stopped in my chest, then it ached like I'd never felt before as I heard my own biological mother's name fall from Ms. Eva's lips. Yes I was well aware that I was adopted, it was kind of obvious considering I had honey blonde hair, hazel eyes that often shifted to green, and ivory skin while my mom was a brunette, had dark brown eyes, and olive skin. We couldn't look more different. I was ten when mom sat me down and told me that my favorite actress, who played my favorite Disney Princess Elza, was actually my birth mother; that the insanely beautiful woman who was plastered all over magazines and billboards and buses had given birth to me and then given me away. I get why she did it, Mom carefully explained that Quinn had only been sixteen when she had me; that she had been disowned by her own parents and was essentially homeless bouncing around from friend's house to friend's house. Yeah so I got it, Quinn was stuck between a rock and a hard place and she had wanted to do what was best for me so she gave me away to someone she trusted and knew would love me. I also know that Quinn talks to Mom monthly and that Mom sends her pictures of me, but we've never met and never talked. I don't know why and frankly I've been to afraid to ask Mom why and I don't want to hurt mom's feelings and make her think I don't love her or see her as my mom by asking to get to know Quinn.

"What?" I knew my disbelief and surprise as well as fear was written all over may face because Ms. Eva placed a gentle hand on my shoulders. "She's right out in the waiting room. She looks quiet nervous but I think excited. She literally took the red eye here from Germany where she was doing a press junket." Ms. Eva shrugged but smiled, "I take it you haven't met her before?"

"No."

Ms. Eva smiled again and squeezed my shoulder, "I'll be right there with you." Okay so maybe Ms. Eva wasn't so horrible at her job.

I hesitated a moment before entering the waiting room and in a moment of vulnerability I'd never experienced before I slipped my hand into Ms. Eva's. It was her job to protect me and in that moment I really needed that.

My first climes of my birth mother in person was of her back as she paced back and forth, her long fingers repeatedly raking through long velvety blonde hear that fell beyond her shoulders.

"Ms. Fabray." Ms. Eva called her attention. Quinn turned and my breath caught as hazel green eyes fell on me. She was even more gorgeous in person than in the magazines I'd seen. Her skin was flawless, her lips a rosy pink. I could tell she wore no makeup, and frankly that was a bit unfair like seriously how can someone look that amazing with no help. She was tall but not nearly as tall as Mom or Ms. Eva, I guessed about five foot six. She wore straight leg dark blue jeans with a flowing loosely knit sweatshirt with a tight white tank underneath. Navy blue Spares adorned her feet. Small pearl earrings doted her ears and a gold cross lay on her chest just below her collar bones. I took in her physical appearance quickly before focusing on her eyes again. They seemed to be shifting rapidly from hazel to green with each new second. I'd never seen such eyes before, well obviously I'd seen the color, they were mine, but there was something else about her eyes as peered into them. They were so overwhelmingly sad but there was a little spark too as they rested on me. It confused me so I blink to disconnect our gaze.

"Ms. Eva." Quinn greeted as she shook my social workers hand but I noticed her gaze never left me. Her voice was quiet and raspy, there was nasally quality to it that would be perhaps a turn off for most people, but on Quinn who looked so perfect, this little flaw made her even more intriguing. "Beth, Hi I am Quinn, I'm uh…" She faltered a minute, I could guess what she was going to say but she probably wasn't sure if I knew the truth yet or if she did maybe she was being sensitive and didn't want to say mother. Whatever.

"My biological mother, I know." Okay so maybe I sounded a little short and harsh but give me some slack, my real mom was lying not twenty or thirty feet from us fighting for her life.

A look of hurt flashed through Quinn's face I think but it was so quick I couldn't really be sure. She seemed to straighten in front of me. "Yes, yes I am. You can call me Quinn though if you like."

Of course I was going to call her Quinn, she isn't my mother, at least not in the ways it really matter.

"Sure. So what's going to happen now? I mean you live in LA or something like that right are we going there?" I really really hoped not, Mom was here in Philly and I didn't want to leave her, she could wake at any moment and need me.

"I do have a home in LA, but I don't really live there unless I am filming. I actually live in New Haven." I shouldn't be surprised by that, I remember mom saying something about Quinn going to Yale and falling in love with the area. Though it was a hell of a lot closer than Los Angeles I still didn't want to be eight or more hours form mom.

"But we won't be going there, for right now we'll be staying in your apartment and well we'll decide on what to do later after we see how much recovery your Mom makes." Quinn smiled gently at me. Okay that was good, I was staying in Philly with Mom.

Quinn turned her attention to Ms. Eva, "Is there anything I need to do or sign?"

"Yes, but we can fill those out tomorrow. You are free to take Beth now if you'd like. I have arranged for her bag to be dropped off at her house in the morning. Beth do you have keys to your house on you?"

"Yes, they are in my sling bag." I replied. Ms. Eva nodded. "Alright, I will see you two in the morning. If either of you needs anything please don't hesitate to call." Ms. Eva squeezed my hand that I forgot was still holding hers and then left. I suddenly felt panicked as I realized that it was just us now, me and Quinn. Oh crap.

"Um, I know visiting hours are almost done, do you want to sit with your mom a few moments before we leave?" Quinn looked just a petrified as me. What the hell did she need to be afraid of, it's not like she was going home with the woman who gave her up.

"Yeah I want too."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

I bit my lip in thought, part of me wanted to say hell no but another part of me felt like I needed to see how she reacted to seeing mom. "Please."

Together we walked silently to Mom's room, I entered without thought but when I sat in my chair I noticed Quinn had hesitated outside the door. I could she her hands wringing together and her lips moving slightly and then she was in the room head held high. I watched as she came into view of mom, her stride barely halting a moment before swiftly continuing. She rounded Mom's bed and sat in the opposite chair. Her eyes never left Mom's still form. As she sat her hand reached out and took Mom's. She said nothing so neither did I.

We sat there silently until the nurse told us it was time to leave. I rose form my spot and leaned over kissing Mom's cheek, "I love you Mom and I will be back tomorrow." I didn't care if Quinn planned to bring me again or not, I was going to be here every day until Mom woke up if I had too. I turned to leave when I realized Quinn wasn't following me, I turned back and say Quinn leaning in close to Mom, she was whispering into Mom's ear but I couldn't hear a word she was saying until Quinn pulled back and I could hear Quinn's faint voice, "I'm here now Shelby and I promise I will take as good of care of her for you as you did for me."

I ducked my head spun on my heels and walked out the door, I didn't want to hear a word Quinn said to Mom, because that's all they were, words. Soon Quinn was beside me. "Shall we?"

I shrugged and we started to walk. As I reached Quinn's car, an Audi A6, I couldn't help but wonder once again why this was all happening to me. I didn't know and I sure didn't like it.

* * *

**Please Review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Here is the next chapter. I haven't decided how fast I want this story to go yet, all I know is that the beginning will be slower than the rest. Warning things are angsty right now but if you stick with me I promise it will get better. I want to thank all of you who reviewed, I truly appreciate it. I hope you like this chapter and please review. Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. **

* * *

Chapter 2

BETH

We arrived at my apartment in the Loft District/Callowhill section of the city about a half hour later. Our apartment building was ancient, with a small lobby and narrow steps. The elevator was tiny. We lived in a two bedroom loft on the fourth floor. I led Quinn up the four flights of steps before pulling out my key and unlocking the door. I paused a moment, it was awkward and slightly unnerving to have Quinn enter my home that I'd shared with my mom for as long as I could remember. It was a safe place and now I wasn't so sure if it would remain so.

Taking a deep breath I walked in, Quinn followed silently. We both stopped when we saw the pot on the kitchen floor and soup still stuck to it. My eyes began to sting.

"How about you head to bed?" Quinn suggested gently.

I didn't respond just walked to my room and plopped on my bed. Shuttering sobs began to escape me so I buried my face into my pillow hopping Quinn wouldn't hear me. I cried and cried and eventually fell asleep

QUINN

I sighed when I heard the door slam to Beth's room. Finally I let my shoulders sag, my body leaning against the back of the couch. Ever since I go the phone call that Shelby was in the hospital my emotions had been running rampant. I'd been nonstop even as I sat on the flight my mind reeling. What would I do if Shelby died? Sure we'd talked about that possibility a few years ago when we'd stabilized our relationship, Beth would go into my care, but that hadn't seemed like an actual possibility to me when I agreed. I did want Beth I'd wanted to be in Beth's life from the moment I found out I was pregnant, no wanting wasn't my issue, I wasn't sure if I was ready.

That didn't matter now though, I had to be ready, because at the very least Beth would be in my care for a few months and that was only if Shelby recovered enough to take care of Beth independently.

Muffled cries came to my ears and I found myself taking a step towards Beth's room before halting; did Beth want my comfort? Considering how muffled the sobs were I was pretty sure she was trying to hide her distraught from me, so instead of going to my daughter I turned to the kitchen. I would give Beth her space tonight. Once in the kitchen I stared at the pot on the ground in my mind's eye I could see Shelby dropping the pot, it clanking loudly on the wood floor. I saw her clutch her left arm and then suddenly collapse to the floor after the pot, her head barely missing the island in the middle. Shaking my head I cleared the picture and set myself to cleaning up so that Beth wouldn't have to look at the scene again in the morning. It took nearly an hour to get the caked on noodles and broth off the floor.

Finally standing I felt my back protest and crack loudly, a slight stabbing pain shoot down my spine and through my legs. Pausing I let my legs and back adjust before stretching out. It was so sad that at twenty-eight I often felt like an eighty-eight year old. I hobbled over to the linen closet by Beth's room, I couldn't hear her crying anymore so I peeked my head in. She was asleep head in her pillow, I sighed, this was going to be so much hard than I ever thought possible. Slowly I moved towards the bed, gently I rolled her over and pulled the covers up and over her. I bit my lip as I contemplated giving her a kiss goodnight. I'd long to do so for twelve years, so taking advantage of the fact that Beth was no going to remember I lean down and kissed her forehead, willing my love for her through my kiss and into her. I wasn't stupid I could tell she resented me or something, but I would deal with that later.

Once Beth's door was closed I took the sheets I found and set up the couch in the living room. My back would kill me tomorrow for sleeping on a couch, it didn't matter how comfortable it was (and this one was really nice) my back would be sore in the morning but there was no way I would sleep in Shelby's bed. It was just wrong.

As I lay my head down I sent a pray up to God that Shelby would get better and that maybe just maybe Beth would learn to at the least like me.

BETH

The smell of breakfast cooking woke me earlier than I would normally wake, for a moment I thought it was mom making her famous strawberry pancakes but then I smelt bacon and I remembered. Mom was unconscious in the hospital and Quinn was in my house. Taking my time I dress and finally entered the kitchen. Quinn was sitting at our island her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee or tea and her head down. In front of her were two plates filled with bacon, eggs, and fruit. As I passed the living room I saw the bed linens on the couch, good I would have dropped her if she dared sleep in mom's bed.

I sat across from her silently and began eating. Quinn suddenly looked up and smiled at me. I rolled my eyes and continued to eat. We were silent for a long time, both of us eating our breakfast. When I was finished Quinn took both our plates and began to wash them by hand. "We have a dishwasher you know, we aren't poor." I commented.

Quinn paused and raised an eyebrow at me. It was slightly intimidating. "I know but I like doing the dishes by hand, it's soothing."

"It's a pain and boring." I retorted.

Quinn shrugged, "I felt the same at your age."

We were quiet again, I noticed it was 9:00, visiting hours would start in an hour. As if she was reading my mind Quinn turned around her back to the sink, "Do you want to go visit your mom today?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I just need to make some phone calls and check my emails then we can go. Do you think you can give me the code to your internet?"

"Yeah, give me your computer." Quinn walked to the couch and grabbed a black labtop case, she pulled out the new iMac Air 2 and handed to me. Of course the famous actress would own the newest and most expensive computer. She turned it in an punched in her password. I nearly fell when I saw her desktop background was a collage of picture of me.

"Oh, uh sorry." She apologized. I reigned my emotions in and shrugged, "I see mom sent you a lot."

"Yes it was very kind of her." Quinn replied. We left it at that. Once I logged her I went to my room to get pack a bag for the hospital. I need some things to keep my occupied, there was only so much daytime TV a kid could handle.

An hour and half later I was back at my mom's side. Everything seem to be the same and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. I took my normal spot while Quinn took the seat across from me. I pulled our my book, _Lion Witch and the Wardrobe_ and began reading. I noticed Quinn had a thick pack of bound papers that she was reading through and highlighting and taking notes in. It was distracting, her working so quietly. "Is that a script?"

"Yes for a new movie I am going to be doing." Quinn said her eyes lifting from the page and looking at me.

"You the lead?"

"No, actually I will be directing." I stared at her a moment, Quinn never directed before, I was sure of that. She had been my favorite actress for years before I found out the truth and since then even though I didn't watch her movies anymore I did keep tabs on her career.

"Seriously they are letting you direct?" Okay so maybe the disbelief in my voice was a little mean but I was really surprised.

"They kind of have too, I wrote the script." Quinn shrugged before turning back to her work. I was stunned again; Quinn had written a script and was directing it,that was so cool. I couldn't let her know that so I forced myself to start reading again.

We stayed all day. Quinn left twice, once to get us lunch and once to talk to the doctors. Before I knew it visiting hours were over and I was once again heading home with Quinn. When we go there my bag from the foster home was at the front door. Seriously not a safe place to put that but whatever, it's not like Social Services care about stuff like that.

Dinner was a quiet affair much like breakfast and lunch had been. By eight o'clock I head to bed, it was early for me but I wasn't in the mood to staying up with Quinn. I was almost to my door when Quinn calling me halted me.

"Yes?"

She was standing before me now, "I know that you are hurting and that this situation is unexpected, unfair, and confusing, but I want you to know that I am here for you, I do care and love you so much, even if you don't believe me, and if you need to talk or anything please come to me, I want to help."

My emotions swirled and I felt them bubble, she looked so sincere and that made things worse. If she really cared then why the hell did it take my mom nearly dying for her to meet me. "Whatever Quinn, you're like twelve year too late to say something like that to me. If I wasn't a minor and they hadn't forced you to come here I would never have ever seen you." With that I turned and slammed my door shut. My life really stunk right now.

* * *

**Please Review**


End file.
